Not since Libertyville sent Stevenson packing from the postseason in 1994 have the Wildcats posted a playoff victory over the Patriots. Monday night was no exception as Stevenson knocked Libertyville out of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year with a 47-43 victory in the Mundelein sectional.
Led by the hot shooting of DePaul-bound guard Jenni Dant, the No. 4 Patriots (29-4) dropped Libertyville for the third time this season.
Leading 35-17 with 3 minutes 52 seconds left in the third quarter, courtesy of 23 points from Dant, Stevenson withstood a furious Libertyville rally during the final 12 minutes to advance to Thursday’s Class AA sectional final against Barrington.
“I’m glad she’s on our side because she’s fantastic,” said Stevenson coach Frank Mattucci of Dant, who finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Erin Murtha added 12 points for the Patriots, while Lizzy Aldridge’s 15 led Libertyville (21-9).
In the nightcap, No. 2 Barrington squeezed past third-seeded Lake Zurich 50-48. Trailing 38-33 with 1:57 remaining in the third quarter, Barrington went on a 9-2 run that ended with a Lindsay Richards three-pointer with 6:35 remaining and the Fillies ahead 42-40. Richards finished the decisive quarter scoring nine of her 15 points.
Nicky Eason led Barrington (25-10) with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Johanna Solverson had 17 points in a losing effort for Lake Zurich (25-6).
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Naperville North 44, Benet 41: Rachel Karos scored 13 of her game-high 19 points in the second half as No. 20 Naperville North pulled off the upset of seventh-ranked Benet at the St. Charles East sectional semifinal. North will play the winner of Tuesday’s Naperville Central-West Chicago game in Thursday’s final.
The Huskies (22-9) didn’t take a lead until 1:14 remained in the game and Karos hit two free throws. Benet’s Jordan Wilson, who scored 10 points before fouling out, gave the Redwings a 40-32 lead with 6 minutes left before North ended the game on a 12-1 run.
Bridget Lipke had a chance to tie the game with 2.9 seconds left, but missed a pair of free throws. Ashley Rook rebounded the miss and split two free throws to ice the game.
“We flirted with getting behind by double digits early on, but as the game went on we regained our composure,” Huskies coach Tom Vargos said. “I thought we were going to get blown out. It was a matter of getting the kids to calm down and execute a little better.”
Jenny Callan led Benet (25-6) with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Bremen: Nikita Odom scored 18 points and Janelle Hughes added 16 as No. 5 Hillcrest rolled past Thornwood 62-39. Hillcrest (27-1), which gained a measure of revenge for last year’s sectional defeat by Thornwood, went on a 13-2 run in the third quarter to ice the game. “One of the driving forces for us the last 12 months has been avenging that loss,” Hillcrest coach John Maniatis said. Tamika Harris led the Thunderbirds (18-10) with 14 points.
Jacobs: Tori Dyborny and Nicole Haas scored 15 points each for Rockton Hononegah (27-5) as clutch free throw shooting clinched a 59-53 win over Dundee-Crown. Melissa Tarrant scored 17 points for Dundee Crown (22-7). . . . Amy Kaplan scored 24 points as Cary-Grove (20-9) avenged three straight playoff losses to Machesney Park Harlem in a 57-51 win. Darcee Schmidt scored 20 points to lead Harlem (21-7).
Lockport: Rachel Siller scored 15 points and had seven assists and six steals for No. 16 Plainfield (27-3) in a 55-37 win over Waubonsie Valley. Rebbeca Morice led Waubonsie Valley (19-12) with nine points, six rebounds and five steals. . . . Neuqua Valley went on an 8-0 run to start the second quarter and forced Morris into eight turnovers during that stretch in a 48-36 win. Cassandra Stark and Lindsay Wisdom scored 13 points each for the Wildcats (26-5). Jessica Leschewski had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Morris (21-6)..
Maine West: Nora Quish scored 15 points to lead a trio of Trevians in double figures as No. 14 New Trier rolled past Maine West 52-36. Lauren Lubin and Shana Franklin scored 11 points each for New Trier (26-7), which went on a 12-4 run to end the first half. Linnea O’Neill and Diana Boris scored 10 points each for Maine West (21-13). . . . Liz Bondi scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Maine South (23-11) in a 52-40 win over Loyola. Debbie Schick had 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks for the Ramblers (17-15).
Oak Lawn: Kristin Heidloff scored 13 points off the bench and keyed a 21-0 run in the first half for second-ranked Fenwick in a 74-33 rout of No. 15 Richards. Sarah Kwasinski led the Friars (31-2), who hit seven three-pointers, with 14 points, and Breanne Smilie added 12 points off the bench. Tina Hill’s 13 points led Richards (24-5).
Streamwood: Maggie Fontana had 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists while Jenny Grimaldi added 17 points for No. 6 Fremd (27-3) in a 69-40 rout of Hersey. Michele Westerkamp scored 12 points to lead Hersey (17-12). . . . Buffalo Grove’s reign as Class AA champions ended in a 57-55 loss to Prospect. Brittani Cottrell scored 14 points to lead Prospect (19-10). Jennifer Guth scored 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Bisons (14-19), who shot 23-of-38 from the line.
Class A supersectional
Mendota: Megan McCracken scored 29 points for Rock Island Alleman in a 57-51 win over Bishop McNamara. Allie Schmidt had 30 points and six rebounds for the Fightin’ Irish.